Schiltz to Butler: you’ve got the money to pay the sanctions

Attorney William Butler, who has been racking up sanctions in federal courts with an attack on the validity of mortgage debt, has been held in contempt of court by U.S. District Court Judge Patrick Schiltz for failure to pay $80,000, reported the Star Tribune yesterday. The order is available here.

Schiltz also asked the U.S. attorney’s office to consider opening up a criminal investigation.

The judge said that according to his bank records and three entities that he owns, he had a monthly gross income of $64,000. Schiltz said that from Aug. 12 to Aug. 20, 2013, while Butler was under a court order to pay the sanctions, he spent $1,502.12 on restaurant meals, liquor and yoga.

But Schiltz said he would not take action against Butler until it was determined how his suspensions from practice in the federal courts affected his income.